1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an output processing system for achieving efficiency in preparing various types of fonts and form overlay information specified for output processing in a computer system.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a computer system. When processing results of an application program executed by a data processing unit 1 are printed out, output information 3 to be printed is temporarily stored in magnetic disk storage, for example, in an output queue 4. The output information 3 placed in the output queue 4 is then retrieved in sequence by a print processing unit 5 and fed to a printer 6 for printout.
When a document or a predesigned cut form is printed, the font and size of characters and form overlay are specified in predetermined locations in the output information 3. Thus, various types of character pattern information and form overlay information must be prepared and changed as specified.
To this end, the printer 6 has a character resource storage facility 7 for holding such character pattern information and form overlay information (hereinafter referred to as character resource information). When character resource information specified by the output information to be printed is stored in the character resource storage facility 7, it is used for printing. When the specified character resource information is not stored in the character resource storage facility 7, the printing process is interrupted and necessary character resource information is requested from the printing processor 5.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of another computer system. To print out the processing results of the application program 2 executed by a data processing unit 10, the output information 3 to be printed is temporarily stored in magnetic disk storage before being placed in the output queue 4. When the output information 3 placed in the output queue 4 is information to be output to one of the terminals 13, it is retrieved in sequence by the printing processor 11 and output to a desired terminal 13 for printout via a terminal controller 12.
The terminal controller 12 is generally connected to and controls a plurality of terminals 13 the terminal controller 12 has a character resource storage facility 14 to store character resource information which is shared among the terminals 13. To this end, required character resource information stored, for example, on a magnetic floppy disk is read and loaded in advance into the character resource storage facility 14 via an input device 16.
The terminal 13 executes a printing process in accordance with the output information 3 received from the printing processor 11 via the terminal controller 12. Each of the terminals stores character resource information used for printing control in its own character resource storage facility 15. If the character resource information specified by the output information is not stored in the character resource storage facility 15, the terminal 13 requests that the terminal controller 12 transfer the specified character resources from the character resource storage facility 14 to its character resource storage facility 15. If, in this case, the terminal controller 12 also does not have the requested character resource information in its character resource storage facility 14, printing stops and the printing processor 11 is notified that the requested character resource is not stored in the character resource storage facility 14.
In the conventional output processing system described above, if the necessary character resource information is not available, the terminal has to interrupt printing to request and receive desired character resource information in the configuration shown in FIG. 1, or stop printing in the configuration shown in FIG. 2. This reduces printing efficiency.